Need It Now: Martone Cycling Co.’s Glow-in-the-Dark Rain Cape

Didn’t it start with the dress-up box as a child? Even now, few things hold a more treasured spot in our closets than the simple delight of a transformative piece of clothing—something that mentally turns us into a more interesting or playful version of ourselves (remember Comme des Garçons’s two-dimensional coats from last fall?). To some degree, that’s the appeal of Martone Cycling Co.’s phosphorous rain cape. Created to complement his sleek collection of monochromatic city bikes which launched in March, Lorenzo Martone collaborated with urban cape company Cleverhood and added a chic reflective shroud to his repertoire this month (firemen-red helmets, bike chain–inspired jewelry, and unisex tops emblazoned with “Velo Love” also join the lineup). Cut from heritage glen plaid, the inventive cover-up hints at chic European heritage dressing by day, while embedded reflective threads, activated by car lights, get to work setting the wearer aglow like an otherworldly Tron character at night.

Expand

Photo: Courtesy of Martone Cycling

“Bike gear is often technical and intimidating for people who just want to go from A to B,” says Martone of the impetus behind the idea. “If it rains, I want to wear something that will keep me dry without looking like I forgot to remove the haircutting cape after leaving the barber.” There is nothing inherently cartoonish about this waterproof cloak’s appeal. Rather, elastic thumb hooks, which help to ensure every inch of skin is covered without compromising a secure grip on the handle bars, and an amorphous hood, large enough to keep a well-coiffed blowout in inclement weather in check, render this an entirely practical and innovatively stylish proposition.